South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1887-12-02

~ssSs Wy osoN SCaaS VI uSAo AZ
I oil. and possesses thicx. soit skin,
which fesls veivety to the touch.
/ The general color Of The back and
sides is dark olive brown, tue ab.
aomen whitisL-yel'ow or orange tiut.
The Carp is partial TO stagnAHt "a.
tiers, or such as have . mol too swift
current. With loamy, muddy bot
tom. and deep places ,vered with
vegetation. II is an advantage that
Til. Carp IL able 10 live in water in
which o. her fish could not possibly
exist; Tor insiaD.e, in tue pools Of
boys or sl,asts. However, il is not
to De i,.ferre f.om this that The best
locality for carp ponds of q superior
kind coui., be in such situations.
Fresh waite: is by no means dIsad.
vantage. ii not, indeed, Q positive
| necessity.
The Car, lives upon vel e,aLle
food. as vel. IS upon worms and lar.
vac Ut aquatic insects, wi ich it turns
up from the mud with is head. IL
10 very easily satisfied and will not
refuse the offal from kitchens. brew
cries and slaughter-bousee. or even
the excre ment Of cate aud pigs.
Corn, rye, barley. &c, also, when
boiled or eoaked in water. are readily
eaten 10y it. Perhaps the best food
for 1t is the seeds of tie water.grsss.
From this it will be seen that the
Carp is no fish # prey. 1. does not
attack other fishes, and has no teeth
10 Its mou' b, hut only in its throst,
and Is on account of its harmless n 90
an excells ut fish for the culturist
as we'll as for stocking large lakes
and rivers IN general. II lives in
salt water as veil as in fresh.
Tue normal weight which . carp
may attain in 8 years 10 on average Of
from to 5 pounds; that is. q fish
that has lived Two summers. aud 10
conscqne ntly 18 mouths old, will
weigh Il 10 st pounds the year fol-
lowing. Car have been caught in
Europe Of all weights up TO 80 b,.
In this country. f:om 6 to 10 pounds
is considered a good size.
They reach very advanced age,
AS specimens are TO be found Ia Aus
tria over lao years old. The in
crease In leng b only continues up 10
a certain age, but it, circumference
viii increase up to its 35th year.
The tqu tic plan's hest for ponds
are: Utricu'aria Nupha luteum and
Nymphoea alba the yellow and
white water lily J; the Phelland' ium
Aqaaticum; Festuca Flutans wat er.
grassy and Zisania Aquatica and
Zizdniu Fuitans. the ". II known
ruscarora rice or water-oats. The
seeds of these plants furnish an a.
bundauce Of The very best kind o.
fool for tie Carp.
TIE abundance Of eggs in the Carp
is very great and i, is this circum-
stance which explains it's Z raordiua
ry increase in the natural waters. A
fish weighing from 4to5 pounds con.
tains, ON an average, 100000 to 500,
900 eggs. The eggs are adhesive.
and arc depo-i'ei on the leaves Of
The plants mentioned abuve in shall
low water. The spawning season
commences alb " the firsi If May
and lasts several weeks. DuIi g
tue spawning season an apprecia-
bic Change takes place in the raaie,
protuberauces like warts, appearing |
on the skin OF the ,ad and back and |
disappearing upon the expiration of
tia 8, ason. They are hen very easily
taken. The little fish are developed
and leave the eggs in about l6 DAYS.
Carp sleep all the winter during
which time they do not grow, do mol
eat, and strange To say do not dim,I-
ish in weigh. They only grow dur
ins May. June. Jnly and August-a-
bout the first Of November they hi
berDate. They do SO always in
groups Of from so to 100 and more.
They make a cavity in tie muddy
ground called a kettle ID this they
pass the time until spriop, huddled
toge' her in c,ncentric circles with
their heads together, tho posterior
part OF the body raised and held inn
movahly. scarcely lifting the gills
for the process OF breathing and
without taking a particle Of food.
They demand more care and at' en-
ton during May thin Mt any O her
lime. They thrive best in warm and
sunny weather {; vet cold summers
are no more proftab TO The culturis,s
Of Carp than to the agriculturist.
Considering the fact that scarcely
3 farm in Germany or Austris can b Q
found without ITS carp pond, and iha,
The fish are most highly appreciated
where they have been Ion yest know,
Il certainly loofs as though their cul-
ture must have been found verv prof.
table by those engaged in it; and il
IS earnestly TO be hoped that the rails
ing of this splendid food fish will soon
form an important part Of the bust
nes ga OF ali our farmers.